topham



w. H. TOPHAM. i Lamp Chimney Holder. No. 31,496. 7 Patented Feb. 19, 1861.v

Try/2572905665 15a/'EMV www wf M Mum 9 Q am? A Y M mai? N, Pains. vwmumagmpnur, wnningm n. c

i. CE.

V. H'. TOPHAM, OF NEV BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,496, dated February 19, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lV. H. TOPHAM, of New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Lamp Designed Chiefly for Burning lVhale-Oil; and I do hereby declare that the following' is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a vertical central section of a lamp constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2, a vertical central section of the lamp top the plane of section being at right angles to that of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a plan or top view of the lamp top.

Similar letters of'reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents the base of a lamp on which a hollow pedestal B, is placed and secured in any proper manner. The lower part of the pedestal B, is perforated as shown at CLX, and on its upper end the body or, fountain C, of the lamp is placed-the latter having no communication with the former.

Into the upper end of the pedestal B, there is screwed a head a, to which a flat copper tube D, is attached, the tube D, communicating with the pedestal B, and eX- tending upward as high as the top of a metal band Z), which is fitted on the fountain C, and around its orifice as shown in Figs. l, and 2.

The lower part of the head a just above its screw thread that enters the pedestal B is provided with a flange m and when the head d is screwed into t-he pedestal B, said flange m rests upon the inner surface of the fountain C. .The edges of the fountain are thus clamped between the upper end of the pedestal B and the flange m; a suitable packing z' is placed under the flange m to prevent the possibility of leakage. The usual mode of uniting the glass fountains to the pedestal is by cementing.

My improved mode permits the convenient opening and separation of the fountain from the pedestal for cleaning, and at the same time serves as a firm and durable mode of uniting the parts.

E, E, are wick tubes of flat form and secured near their upper ends in a circular plate o, which rests on the band Z). The wick tubes are not parallel with each other their upper ends being nearer together than their lower ends. The wick tubes are at opposite sides of the flat tube D, the latter having a central position between the former. Each wick tube E, is slotted at its outer side near its top to receive serrated wheels (l, (l, which are on shafts F, F. there beingl one shaft to each wick tube and two serrated wheels on each shaft. rlhe wheels d, when turned or rotated raise and lower the wicks.

To the sides of the wick tubes E, E, there are attached plates G, G, which are slightly curved above the tubes E, and extend from the plate c, to the top of the cone or deflector hereinafter described and close the space between the tubes E, E, above plate o.

The Circular plate C, is fitted within a socket or thimble H, which screws on the band o, and secures the plate c, down on the band the upper part of the socket or thimble being provided with a flanch c, which projects over the edge of plate c, as shown in Figs. l and 2.

l, is the cap the lower end of which is lifted to the socket or thimble H, by simply sliding over the same. This cap l, is provided with a cone or deflector J, slotted as usual at f, the slot being over the tops of the wick tubes E, E. The cap is perforated as usual to admit air to the flames, both within and at the outer side of its cone J, and the plates Gr, extend to the ends of the slot f, as shown in Fig. 2.

From the above description it will be seen that the air which feeds the flame passes through the perforations (LX, at the lower end of the pedestal B, and through the flat copper tube D, and impinges against the inner sides of the llames of the two wicks E, E. The air in passing through the tube D, is heated the tube heilig warmed by the flames, and the tube being of copper readily receives the heat therefrom. The plates G, G, prevent the air coming in contact with the edges of the flame below the cap I-and the flame is consequently allowed to spread the full length ofthe slot f. lVere the plates Gr, not employed impinging air at the edges of the flame would prevent the flames spreading and their width would be very contracted and broad flames only obtained b v using large wicks. The office of the plates G, will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 2, in which it will be seen that the edges of the flames, or one of them rather, is in contact with the plates Gr, Gr.

The flat tubel D, prevents the wick tubes IC, E, being turned in the body or fountain C, and hence the necessity for the socket or thimble H, which admits of the wick tubes being firmly secured in position, without being turned as hitherto required in ordinary arrangements in order that the plate in which they are secured may be screwed into a socket at the orifice of the lamp fountain.

In the cap I, at its upper part there is secured a curved metal plate K, the ends of which project inward toward the center of the cap. This plate is elastic so that its ends may yield or give, the plate being attached at its center to the cap as shown at g, so as to form a double spring. .There is also attached to the inner side of the cap a spring L, the disengaged end of which projects inward toward the center of cap I. To this end of the spring a thumb-piece L, is attached with thumb-piece projects through a slot z', in the edge of the cap.

The springs K, L, secure the chimney M, to the cap, the springs fitting over the flanch j, at the lower end of the chimney. The lower edges of the spring K, are rounded in order that they may lit snugly on the flanch, and act efliciently vagainst it. The same springs will serve for different sized chimneys and also allow for the expansion of the same by the heat of the flame. 'Io the outer end of the spring L, there is attached an inclined plate bx, which admits of the ready fitting of the chimney in its place. The chimney is released by shoving out the spring L, the thumb acting against thumb piece 7L.

I would remark that the copper tube D, serves by conducting heat down into the fountain C, to render the oil therein fluid so that it may readily pass up the wicks. I would also remark that the tube D, being much smaller than the pedestal B, the latter serves as an alr chamber and insures a unlform current of air up through D, prevent' ing the smoking of the flame when the lamp is moved. The elasticity of the column of air contained within B and the interposition of said column between the air entrance at a* and the discharge at D together with the greater bulk of the air column in B over the area of the tube D, insures a regular supply of air to the flame and consequently a steady and brilliant combustion. The pedestal B, unscrews a short distance above the base A, and there is a chamber P below to receive any oil that may chance to pass into the upper end of tube D.

Ido not claim the two wick tubes E, E, nor do I claim irrespective of the arrangement herein shown, admitting air to the flame through a hollow pedestal. Nor do I claim broadly the use of springs for attaching chimneys to lamps.

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The arrangement of the flanched screw socket H and disk c with the band b tubes D, E, F and cap I in the manner and for the purposes herein shown and described.

2. The employment of the double armed spring K in combination with the cap I and spring L in the particular manner herein shown and described, for the purposes set forth.

3. The arrangement of the rings or plates G to extend from the plate c to the inner surface of the cone or deflector J so as to inclose the fiame, all in the manner and for the purpose herein shown and described.

WM. H. TOPI-IAM.

IVitnesses CHARLES C. DUNBAR, C. DAVENPORT. 

